


A Sequin at a Time

by Allekha



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Coaches, Costumes, Ficlets, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2019-05-08
Packaged: 2020-02-28 14:28:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18758296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Allekha/pseuds/Allekha
Summary: Skating and style in three ficlets: Yakov has never felt the need to crush his students' creativity when it comes to their styling, no matter the complaints; Josef has always supported Chris's unusual programs; Victor knows that Yuuri can pull offErosand disprove the skeptics.





	A Sequin at a Time

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: 'controversial styles'

While well aware of the role that aesthetics played in their sport, Yakov had never felt the need to play stylist too much with his students. He heard enough whining from them without vetoing every offbeat suggestion, though he tried to reign them in when things went too far. Let them discover for themselves if the judges didn't like it.  
  
When Victor, seventeen – a new Olympic champion, gold after gold around his neck during his senior debut – had showed up with his long hair styled softly for his new short program, his costume pretty and floating and colorful, people had grumbled. They'd grumbled to Yakov, and then they'd grumbled to Victor until he had finally, looking bored, admitted that maybe the costume could use some adjusting. At the next competition, he'd added sparkling lace to the edges, gold as the medal he earned with it. It wasn't the hand-wringing about the length of his hair by federation officials that got him to cut it years later, Yakov was sure of that.   
  
Georgi discovered make-up when he was eighteen, and he applied it in abundance. He insisted that it helped express the otherworldly emotions and themes of his skates; Yakov wondered if he would be dinged for being too theatrical. But instead, Georgi consistently set new personal bests for himself that year, standing beaming next to Victor on more than one podium after clean performances that set the crowd roaring. If the face painting worked for him, then Yakov was fully prepared to ignore everyone saying it was melodramatic, garish, unsuitable.  
  
At fifteen, Mila had come to the rink one day with an undercut. She had jumpsuits for both of her costumes – it was a modern age, and tradition was no reason to deny a young woman trousers – and was encouraged on her eyeliner by Georgi. Yakov thought it was too much, all put together, but there was nothing anyone could do to make her hair regrow overnight, and there was no denying that she stood out next to the girls in lovely dresses. Some loved the new and different look; others bemoaned it, at length, to Yakov's face, asking how he could allow it; Mila grinned through her interviews while clutching her medals.  
  
When Yuri appeared in front of them after his GPF gala – a gala that wasn't the one Lilia had made for him – he had a defiant expression as he met their eyes. It was almost like he thought they would challenge him on his new, rebellious styling, as though there was anything in it that they hadn't seen before.  
  
~!~  
  
Josef encouraged his students to be themselves. Skating was both a sport and an art, and he didn't see the point in making anyone miserable or denying them a creative touch to their outfits and programs.  
  
None of his students were quite as themselves as Chris was.  
  
Josef had tried to be both honest and kind when Chris had spent years playing around with his hair and his programs as a teenager; there was a lot of variety, as Chris tried this and that, discarding some ideas in the space of only a few weeks. Eventually, he'd emerged with a mature, confident image, and it was clear that he was happy with what he'd found.  
  
To be honest, the frequent seductive overtones to Chris's programs weren't to Josef's taste, and he knew he wasn't the only one. He'd witnessed a Swiss federation official cringe through one of Chris's programs; commentators and sports journalists sometimes didn't know what to say, and sometimes didn't have any nice words for him.  
  
But he scored well with the judges, and it seemed that fans threw more flowers at every competition. Most importantly, Chris always came off the ice smiling after a job well done. He performed the programs excellently, and he enjoyed them. Josef would support his distinctive style if those were the results.  
  
The year that Victor would be gone, Chris pushed the boundaries even further for his short program. Maybe it _was_ obscene, like the complainers said, but it also put Chris on the top of the podium at his first competition. Josef was confident that it would not be the only time that season.

~!~  
  
Victor always tried to keep his finger on the pulse of fan opinions. He didn't have to listen to what those fussy old heads in the federation said, and he knew he couldn't make everyone happy, but it was good to know what was working and what wasn't.  
  
After _Onsen on Ice_ , he was pleased that Yuri's _agape_ program had been well-received. He'd thought that Yuuri's _eros_ program had gone over nicely, too – certainly it had garnered a lot of applause at the show – and it was confusing to read further into social media and find that not everyone agreed.  
  
Why would anyone think that Yuuri couldn't pull it off? Sure, it was still shaky for now, but he'd only been practicing it for a week. Victor knew that he just needed more time, and more of whatever it was that Victor had seen on the night of the banquet. The way he moved, his connection to the music – everything he needed to reach his potential was already there.  
  
And then there were those who simply seemed upset that Yuuri was doing an erotic program in Victor's teenage costume. But god, Victor couldn't wait to see him in that costume again – it fit him so perfectly, and it looked wonderful on him, and the way it accentuated every move of his skating was amazing. He wanted to see Yuuri skate in his old clothing again, and then he wanted, so much, for Yuuri to let him ease the zipper down and peel it off of him.

Next time, maybe. And next time, everyone would see just how sexy Yuuri could be.


End file.
